What's inside
What's inside
Key Ingredients
Benefits
Concerns
Ingredients Side-by-side
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer
Dipropylene Glycol
HumectantZinc Gluconate
Skin Conditioning
Coco-Caprylate/Caprate
Emollient
Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Arachidyl Alcohol
Emollient
Behenyl Alcohol
Emollient
Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6
Emulsion StabilisingSodium Polyacrylate
Absorbent
Glycyrrhetinic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Propylene Glycol
Humectant
Arachidyl Glucoside
EmulsifyingBakuchiol
Antimicrobial
Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract
Skin Conditioning
Mannitol
Humectant
Xylitol
Humectant
Sodium Metabisulfite
Antioxidant
Rhamnose
HumectantGinkgo Biloba Leaf Extract
Skin Conditioning
Tocopherol
Antioxidant
Fructooligosaccharides
Humectant
Parfum
Masking
Water, Glycerin, Methyl Methacrylate Crosspolymer, Dipropylene Glycol, Zinc Gluconate, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Vinyl Dimethicone/Methicone Silsesquioxane Crosspolymer, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Arachidyl Alcohol, Behenyl Alcohol, Polyacrylate Crosspolymer-6, Sodium Polyacrylate, Glycyrrhetinic Acid, Propylene Glycol, Arachidyl Glucoside, Bakuchiol, Laminaria Ochroleuca Extract, Mannitol, Xylitol, Sodium Metabisulfite, Rhamnose, Ginkgo Biloba Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Fructooligosaccharides, Parfum
Water
Skin ConditioningGlycerin
Humectant
Butylene Glycol
Humectant
Dipropylene Glycol
Humectant1,2-Hexanediol
Skin Conditioning
Niacinamide
Smoothing
Panthenol
Skin Conditioning
Carnitine
Cleansing
Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate
Humectant
Salicylic Acid
Masking
Madecassoside
Antioxidant
Sarcosine
Skin Conditioning
Acetamide Mea
HumectantHydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin
MaskingCyclodextrin
AbsorbentPropylene Glycol
Humectant
Serine
Masking
Palmitamide Mea
Sodium Phosphate
BufferingSqualane
Emollient
Asiaticoside
Antioxidant
Madecassic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Asiatic Acid
Skin Conditioning
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride
Masking
Escin
TonicCeramide NP
Skin Conditioning
Hydrogenated Lecithin
Emulsifying
Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate
Skin Conditioning
Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate
Skin Conditioning
Citric Acid
Buffering
Sodium Citrate
BufferingTromethamine
BufferingEthylhexylglycerin
Skin ConditioningWater, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Dipropylene Glycol, 1,2-Hexanediol, Niacinamide, Panthenol, Carnitine, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Salicylic Acid, Madecassoside, Sarcosine, Acetamide Mea, Hydroxypropyl Cyclodextrin, Cyclodextrin, Propylene Glycol, Serine, Palmitamide Mea, Sodium Phosphate, Squalane, Asiaticoside, Madecassic Acid, Asiatic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Escin, Ceramide NP, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Polyglyceryl-10 Stearate, Polyglyceryl-10 Oleate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Tromethamine, Ethylhexylglycerin
Reviews
Alternatives
Ingredients Explained
These ingredients are found in both products.
Ingredients higher up in an ingredient list are typically present in a larger amount.
Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride (aka MCT Oil) is a lightweight emollient, solvent, and texture enhancer. It is considered a skin-softener by helping to prevent moisture loss.
Though it behaves like an oil, it is not technically one due to its chemical composition. One perk of this ingredient is that it is very stable, resistant to oxidation, and unlikely to go rancid.
In practice, that translates to a long shelf life and a consistently elegant skin feel.
While there is an assumption Caprylic Triglyceride can clog pores due to it being derived from coconut oil, there is no research supporting this. Just patch test if you have concerns.
Fractionated coconut oil and MCT Oil are both listed as Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride according to INCI. This is because INCI names are based on the ingredient’s final chemical composition and not its marketing name or source.
This ingredient is treated as the gold standard fungal acne safe oil. Even though it is coconut derived, the problematic lauric acid is stripped out.
This leaves just caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acid. These chain lengths actually trend antifungal; a 2020 study found caprylic acid was enough to disrupt Malassezia furfur cell membrane, with a caprylic acid derivative damaging membrane structures at concentrations as low as 0.2%.
Learn more about Caprylic/Capric TriglycerideDipropylene Glycol is a synthetically created humectant, stabilizer, and solvent.
This ingredient helps:
Dipropylene glycol is technically an alcohol, but it belongs to the glycol family (often considered part of the ‘good’ alcohols). This means it is hydrating and gentle on skin unlike drying solvent alcohols like denatured alcohol.
As a masking agent, Dipropylene Glycol can be used to cover the smell of other ingredients. However, it does not have a scent.
Studies show Dipropylene Glycol is considered safe to use in skincare.
Learn more about Dipropylene GlycolGlycerin (or glycerol) is a compound naturally found in your skin. It's a powerhouse humectant that pulls water into the stratum corneum.
Topically, glycerin does several things at once:
Your skin makes glycerin on its own (mostly from sebaceous oil breakdown) and shuttles it to your outermost layer of skin, or your epidermis, via aquaporin-3.
Aquaporin-3 is a transporter that is essential for normal skin hydration, elasticity, and repair. Interestingly, mice lacking in AQP3 have dry and less elastic skin that can be fully corrected with glycerin.
This ingredient is non-irritating, plays well with almost every ingredient, and works across all skin types. Typical use is anywhere between 3-10% but can go up to 79% in some leave-on products.
Just know very high concentrations (>40%) can feel tacky in low humidity.
Glycerin is the name for this ingredient in American English. British English uses Glycerol/Glycerine.
Learn more about GlycerinPropylene Glycol is a synthetic, colorless, odorless liquid that has been a staple in cosmetics for decades. It is a skin conditioning agent, humectant, and solvent.
As a humectant, it draw water to the skin to reduce flaking and restore suppleness. It's also a solvent that helps dissolve other actives and keeps formulas stable across temperature changes.
The CIR Expert Panel has confirmed this ingredient to be nontoxic and clinical studies show no sensitization at cosmetic use concentrations.
True allergic reactions are quite rare: a 15-year retrospective study of 6,751 patients found only 0.31% had a positive reaction (and less than half were considered clinically relevant).
It seemed that when sensitization does occur, it's most commonly linked to topical medication (like corticosteroids) and not cosmetics. Allergic contact dermatitis also appears largely limited to individuals with underlying skin conditions.
Overall, propylene glycol is a well-studied ingredient that most people can tolerate without issue.
Learn more about Propylene GlycolWater. It's the most common cosmetic ingredient of all. You'll usually see it at the top of ingredient lists, meaning that it makes up the largest part of the product.
So why is it so popular? Water most often acts as a solvent - this means that it helps dissolve other ingredients into the formulation.
You'll also recognize water as that liquid we all need to stay alive. If you see this, drink a glass of water. Remember to stay hydrated!
Learn more about Water
